Nicole Astra:

School cafeterias across the nation, including higher education are going plant-based. Helping me dig into this trend. Today is our guest, Annette Licitra, a holistic wellness coach and chef. Tell me why do you think it is that the nation is finally prioritizing plant-based foods particularly for our younger kids?

Annette Licitra:

Well, I think there is definitely a shift going on. There's a shift in paradigm shift in health and wellness, just health in general because we are unfortunately one of the sickest populations walking this planet. And I think it's coming up and coming out finally that we really need to start changing, especially at a level with kids because that's really the future. And I think there's a lot that's going on and on our planet too, the sustainability piece is a big part of it.

            But really there's just a lot of illness, unfortunately. And I think a lot of things that are changing with plant-based are helping shift the illness and help people in their healing process is really through plant-based, plant-forward. So I'm I'm not big on like, "Okay, you need to be vegan or vegetarian or any particular belief system." I just know that eating more plants really does help people in their healing process, but it also helps our planet in its healing process. So those are kind of two big factors.

Nicole Astra:

Okay. And tell me a little bit about your background and the Passionette Palate, and how you really educate and engage with your clients.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah, yeah. So quick background on me. I was in corporate finance for 12 years prior to doing what I'm doing, but I am a certified holistic health coach and also a wellness chef. And I had to kind of get into this because I wasn't feeling well for many, many years, didn't realize that it was a lot of what I was eating and putting on my plate, and just what I was consuming that was making me sick. So unfortunately I was learning the hard way and I was kind of in and out of medical offices, so revolving door. And at some point I'm like, "There's got to be a different way."

            I had a lot of digestive issues, lots of things going on. So I figured, "All right, I'm just going to draw the line here and go start to look in natural ways." And as I started looking more holistic, I found looking at my plate was the biggest part of the problem. And of course there's other stressors too, but that's how I got into doing what I'm doing and I'm doing it because I really want to empower people to give them the information, to really take it, run with it and help them in their healing process and just to feel vibrant.

            That's really the reason as I started to see my body change and feel great and just feel energetic and watch my skin clear up, just so many different things. I was like, "I've got to help other people. I really have to help and how can I do this?" So I went to culinary school and I went to health coaching school and I graduated both to make sure that not only am I coaching, but I'm showing them how to do it in the kitchen because that's where a lot of our health starts truly. It starts in the kitchen and yeah.

Nicole Astra:

Well, and I love that because once we make the choice to get healthier, there's so many different options and it's really overwhelming. And you think, "Well, where do I start?" So I love the trend that's happening with kids because they now more than ever are so much more health conscious for what the choices are and what they're choosing for themselves and for the planet. So what would you tell families who really want to capitalize on that nutrition that they're learning about and now they're receiving in schools? How are we supposed to do that at home? Tell us where to start.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah. So I think it just starts in baby steps and really I like to start personally with the menu items is snacks. Snacks, really easy things that they can make. Get them involved in the kitchen is really helpful. Just getting their hands dirty and they love to create. Every time I do classes with kids, they love it because they're creating. Every single one of them is creating something a little different, whether it's a smoothie, it's an energy bite, whatever it might be. It's a dessert, but they're getting their hands dirty and it's theirs. They're creating it.

            So starting with baby steps, little different things in the kitchen where there's not a lot of ingredients just to get them moving and doing things and really touching their food. And then it's the parents hopefully see that they're really interested in, "Oh, I want to do this. I want to create." So I think doing a little things like that to start with, not overwhelming anyone to say like, "Okay, we have to completely take this out, cut this out, cut that out, bring this in." Just here's a little bit to bring and how do we do it and-

Nicole Astra:

I'm in. You touched on something too, because the Mintel data from 2020 indicates 71% of parents with children under 18 said their kids help pick out the food at the grocery store.

Annette Licitra:

Oh yeah.

Nicole Astra:

So as they are learning and really their preferences are driving consumerism. And we see so many different products now geared towards kids. Tyson with Raised & Rooted. Target has a Good & Gather. So many different products, Skout Organic, and they really are starting to market healthier plant-based options to our kids. And so those swaps you mentioned for start small, now there's a number of options on the market that will allow you to do just that.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah, yeah. And it's great that they're doing that and they're recognizing that because marketing has been geared towards kids for a very, very long time, whether it's positive or negative unfortunately with with food companies. And so I'm really happy to start seeing a lot more plant-based and healthier things. Because I think a big thing that you even just mentioned was buying things at the store and when it comes to bars, protein bars or whatever it is just having them look at the labels and whatever it is. Reading the ingredient labels is a very, very important thing.

Nicole Astra:

So you're encouraging, even kids read the labels?

Annette Licitra:

Yes, I teach them to do that when I'm doing cooking classes, but also teaching the parents and then having the kids there to really start understanding, "Okay, well, what do you understand what's in the ingredient label?" I like to talk about that before the nutrition label because you want to understand what's really going in your body and how it's going to affect you good or bad. And so I do start getting them to look at the ingredient labels and they actually really enjoy it, and they start bringing it up to me every time. If I do multiple cooking classes with them, "Oh, hey, I looked at this and I read this and this is in here." I'm like, "You're paying attention."

Nicole Astra:

And they're just learning so much. That's right.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah.

Nicole Astra:

And in turn, then they are informing the parents and informing their choices. So I love that. Explain for our listeners, your Crowd Out theory.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah, yeah. So I really learned this through health coaching school and I love it. It's such a great idea because it's the baby steps, almost method baby steps is really putting in good foods prior to having, and I'm just going to say potato chips as an example. So say we want a bag of potato chips to eat and you would sit there typically and eat that. It's like, well, how about having to crowd out with something good is have maybe some strawberries prior to eating your potato chips. So you're putting in a lot of medicinal foods and nutrient dense foods to help your body, number one, it's healing, but feel good. And then if you want to have those potato chips, you might end up eating less of them. So you're kind of crowding out and you're not eating as many potato chips.

            Now you might find the next couple of days, whenever you're eating more strawberries and you're not craving the potato chips as much or at all because your body is also starting to balance out because it's starting to crave those strawberries. It's starting to crave good foods that you're putting in before you're having whatever it is that might be not as productive for the body. But you're crowding out with something good and healthy, something that's going to help nourish your body. And then having whatever it is afterwards. And you find you're inching out the junk and putting in the good stuff and really helping your body balance, and really nourish it.

Nicole Astra:

And really companies are listening to consumers and so now there's no excuse because we have so many healthy, fast, easy options out there.

Annette Licitra:

Right.

Nicole Astra:

Thank you again for all of your input today. Annette Licitra with Passionette Palate. And I look forward to talking with you again on Talking Plant Protein.

Annette Licitra:

Yeah, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.